West Palm family mourns son, warns of nut allergy dangers

Oakley Debbs had a deadly combination: a severe allergy to nuts and acute asthma. And in a moment when the 11-year-old’s guard was down over the Thanksgiving holiday, a bite of coffee cake was all it took to fatally undo years of caution.

What torments his parents more than a week later is that they thought they had stopped the allergic reaction in its tracks.

That Wednesday evening, when Oakley’s lip began to swell, they gave him Benadryl, a drug-store remedy that counters the symptoms. It was more than an hour later, after Oakley had played, showered and gone to bed, that he complained his tummy hurt. He vomited, felt no better even as his mom, Merrill Debbs, lay beside him rubbing his belly. He vomited again.

Believing her son was on the brink of an asthma attack, she ran for that medication and her husband, Robert Debbs, stepped in.

Oakley Debbs’ heart stopped in a hospital room at 1:55 a.m. Saturday. But, says Robert, “He died in my arms Wednesday night when he was convulsing. He just went limp.”

Read the full story here.

Original post: A West Palm Beach family is grief-stricken by the death of their 11-year-old boy over the Thanksgiving holiday, but is pushing through that pain with an aim to raise awareness about the dangers of nut allergies.

Oakley Debbs died from complications triggered by such an allergy while he was out of town visiting relatives for the holiday, family confirmed this week. A piece of cake appears to be the culprit.

Oakley was an athlete and a student at Roasarian Academy – and he favored red sneakers. And now his friends and family are donning them as well. His parents, Merrill and Robert Debbs, told our news partners at WPTV Channel 5 that they intend to start a foundation to raise awareness about food allergies, but for now the red sneakers are a symbol of support.

An estimated 4 percent to 6 percent of children in the United States have a food allergy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Serious allergic reactions typically come from eight foods or groups of food: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. Yes, peanuts are not the same as tree nuts – you can have an allergy to one and not the other.

Food allergies among children have become more common in the last two decades, the CDC reports. And at their worst, those with allergies can suffer a severe reaction called anaphylaxis when exposed to the offending food.

The reaction can happen within seconds or minutes of exposure and sends the body into shock. Symptoms can include rash, nausea and vomiting, but also sudden drop in blood pressure and the swelling of airways.

View Comments
0

There are no comments yet. Be the first to post your thoughts. Sign in or register.